NBA: Zion Williamson aggravates hamstring, out several more weeks
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on from the bench during the game against the Washington Wizards at Smoothie King Center on January 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson aggravated his hamstring injury and will be evaluated again after the All-Star break, David Griffin, the team’s vice president of basketball operations, said Sunday.
It will be several more weeks before Williamson can return to the Pelicans, Griffin said.
Williamson was voted in as a starter for the All-Star Game, to be played on Feb. 19 in Salt Lake City. He recently pulled out of the game and was replaced on the roster.
Williamson, 22, sustained a right hamstring strain in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 2. He has missed 20 consecutive games.
The Pelicans were 17-12 with Williamson in the lineup and are 12-16 without him. They are one game out of a guaranteed playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick has averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 29 starts this season. He is shooting 60.8 percent from the floor.
Williamson missed all of last season after having surgery on a broken foot, but he had missed just eight games in 2022-23, including three in December while in health and safety protocol, before the hamstring injury.
